Yume Wo Unison
by Kage NoTenshi
Summary: Dreams are not real, yet they are where the soul is revealed -- even the darker side of one's soul. (non shounen-ai)


Random queerness. I love Yami Bakura, that's all. He's just misunderstood, the poor baby… *sniff* *notices everyone staring* Heh, never mind… Anyway, Yu-Gi-Oh doesn't belong to me…anymore. Cardcaptor Sakura either (I borrowed the title from the opening "Catch You, Catch Me.") I gave them to Otogi in exchange for a tutorial on DDM. 

((.\\

Bakura slipped silently and with the grace of a practiced thief into the room of his other. Ryou was sleeping peacefully on his bed, unaware of the darkness drawing near. The bleeding on his cheek had nearly stopped. Bakura studied the forming scab, his face impassive. It was his work, after all. Ryou had come in to say goodnight and Bakura had got him across the face with one of the daggers he liked to keep around his soul room. It reminded him of the old days when he could slip a blade between the ribs of anyone who interfered with his plans…until that blasted pharaoh had shown up. Of course, the pharaoh had died too, but not by Bakura's hand as he would have liked. 

With nothing better to do, Bakura put two fingers on the center of Ryou's forehead and slipped into his Hikari's dreams. Bakura landed with a slight thump on a cloud behind his Hikari. It turned out that Ryou was having one of those flying dreams again. He watched his light side drift along with the birds, a sickeningly cheerful dream really. It was actually quite a while before Ryou noticed that he was no longer alone. He had been lying down on thin air, chirping back at a bluebird when suddenly he stopped, his eyes wide. He righted himself and bowed quickly. "Bakura-sama! I…I didn't see you come."

"I suspected as much," the Yami answered dryly. 

"Well, ano, that looks like a lovely place down there. Would you like to sit down?" They began drifting towards the ground, and Bakura noticed that a large pool and fountain had suddenly and conveniently appeared below them. Of course, dreams were like that. Anything and everything happened. That annoyed him too, and he clenched his fists within his sleeves as they landed softly.

Ryou looked into his other's eyes as they sat by the pool of water. "Bakura-sama…is it just me, or have you been hiding your hands?"

"This is all just a dream," responded the Yami cryptically.

"I know."

"Dreams are where the soul is bared. They show your innermost being."

Ryou thought about that for a while. "I guess you're right."

"Ryou, hold out your hands."

The boy obeyed, unclasping his fingers and extending his hand palm up towards his Yami.

"Look at them, clean, pure, unblemished. So white…"

"Is…is that a good thing?"

Slowly Bakura withdrew his hands from his sweater sleeves. Ryou could not suppress a small yelp of surprise. The other's hands were barely human, crusted in slime, clawed and curled. Blood remained half dried all over them. "In your dreams, I've found, your hands show your soul the most. These are mine, grotesque and deformed from all the people I've hurt. The…the blood is yours, Ryou."

Ryou unconsciously touched the scars that raked across the side of his neck. He had received them in his soul room; and they only showed there, so no other humans had seen them. He had known the pain of their giving, though-along with so many other abuses, physical, mental, and verbal. Yet concern showed in his eyes too. "It must be awful to…to live like that," he said. "Here's water; wash it off." He gestured at the pool.

Bakura shook his head ruefully. "It doesn't work like that. I can't get it off."

Ryou looked thoughtful, and then suddenly his face lit up. "I have an idea. Bakura-sama, if you'll come…"

Bakura joined Ryou in keeling by the pool. 

"Put your hands in the water…please." Ryou added the last word hastily, remembering how dangerous an offended Yami was.

"It won't work, baka," said Bakura, but he obliged.

Ryou also put his pure, gentle hands in the water and grasped his Yami's. Then, carefully, he rubbed gently. Bakura watched wide-eyed as the blood drifted off and dissipated into the clear water. Ryou continued working, scraping off the caked filth and letting it dissolve and disappear. Finally he stepped back, sweat on his face, and looked at his Yami. 

Bakura's eyes, however, were glued to his hands. They were clean, with a few faint scars, but clean. "How…how did you do that? I've worked at them for hours at a time without change, but…" He broke off, his eyes still full of wonder.

Ryou smiled. "It's…it's because I did it with my heart."

"What do you mean?"

"I forgave you…"

Bakura looked confused. "Explain."

"See…it's when someone hurts you, and you let it go. You keep acting towards them like it never happened. You go on caring about that person."

Bakura's expression read absolute revulsion. "No revenge??"

"No."

"Not even mad???"  
"No. You just forgive."

Bakura shook his head. "Of all the things I've ever heard…" He turned back to his Hikari. "How do you do that?"

Ryou shrugged. "I guess it's when you care more about that person and your relationship with them than you care about getting back at them."

Bakura dropped his gaze. "Nobody ever cared about me," he half-whispered. "Not when I was little, not when I was a thief, not now."

"That's not true. You're part of me now, and I care."

"And I never cared about anyone."

Ryou looked a little sad. "It's human to love at least somehow."

"I'm not human."

"You were once, so you can at least learn to care. It may not be easy, but it's possible."

For a moment, Bakura's face held the innocent bewilderment of a five-year-old. "I…I don't understand…"

Ryou smiled softly. "You will eventually, I think. And everyone has his or her own gifts. Do you know what yours are?"

Bakura nodded slowly. "The…the pharaoh must have had a sense of humor when he gave us out powers through the items. I can take souls, but I also have another power." Suddenly, he extended his hand. Ryou cringed out of habit, but his Yami wasn't out to hurt him this time. Bakura let his fingers almost brush the cut on Ryou's face. "I, who killed in Egypt and have tried many times in this time, I, who took delight in spilling your blood and watching you scream or cry in agony…I received this gift." He covered the cut with his palm. Bakura was surprised to feel how gentle and warm the hand was. Yet another feeling he couldn't quite name also flowed through him, like the pain going away. When Bakura removed his hand, the wound was completely gone. He looked almost ashamed, and a red tinge appeared on his cheeks. "I was also given the gift…" he looked a little sheepish "…the gift of healing." Then, without giving his Hikari any time to laugh or react at all, he slipped from the dream.

He found himself standing by the bed again. He looked down and saw Ryou smile in his sleep. Then, softly, softly, he glided from the room to face his own dreams.

R&R


End file.
